Since breaking the story the staff have received serious threats to their lives.

In a statement released by the editors of the paper, they detailed a meeting of over 15,000 people headed by Ramzan Kadyrov – the head of Chechnya. Kadyrov reportedly accused the newspaper of libel and declared it and the staff “enemies of our faith and of our country”.

The meeting resolved that the paper had “insulted the secular foundations of Chechen society” and that “retribution” against the “instigators” would be had.

Editors insist that the resolution “encourages religious fanatics to commit violence against journalists”.

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“Silence and inaction in this situation make everyone who has the possibility to do something complicit. That is why the Novaya Gazeta continues to work in Chechnya. But we are very aware of the high price we have to pay,” they said.